Am I correct in assuming that the fact that my conveyancer in Uppingham is not listed on my lender's solicitor panel that there is a problem with the quality of his conveyancing?

That is most likely a wrong assumption to make. There are all sorts of perfectly plausible explanations. A recent report by the solicitors regulator revealed that over three quarters of law firms surveyed had been removed from at least one lender panel. The top 5 reasons are as follows: (1) low volume of transactions (2) the lawyer is a sole practitioner (3) as part of the HSBC panel reduction (4) regulatory contact by SRA (5) accidental removal. Should you be concerned you should contact the Uppingham conveyancing practice and enquire why they are no longer on the approved list for your lender.

Would the conveyancing solicitors identified via your search tool carry out conveyancing in Uppingham by way of an attended exchange?

There are a few conveyancing experts who can conduct 24hr exchanges. Please contact us to obtain a costs illustration and details as to dates.

We are buying a end of terrace house in Uppingham. We would like to convert the garage to a playroom at the property.Will legal due diligence on the property involve enquiries to determine if these works are prohibited?

Your solicitor will review the deeds as conveyancing in Uppingham will sometimes reveal restrictions in the title deeds which restrict certain alterations or require the permission of a 3rd party. Some additions require local authority planning consent and approval in accordance building regulations. Certain areas are designated conservation areas and special planning restrictions apply which often prevent or affect extensions. It would be prudent to check these issues with a surveyor ahead of any purchase.

Are all Uppingham Conveyancing Quality Solicitors on the Kent Reliance conveyancing list of approved solicitors?

A selection of banks and building societies now make use of the accreditation scheme as the kick off point for Panel membership such as HSBC and Santander. The Law Society’s CQS accreditation however is no guarantee to lender panel acceptance. Nevertheless,the CML have indicated that it is likely to become a pre-requisite for solicitors wishing to join their approved list of firms.

Having read lots of house buying guides, I note that they all recommend that you should get your house surveyed prior to buying it. When I asked my local Uppingham solicitor - who is on the Santander conveyancing panel - on this she said they don't do this and I need to contract an independent surveyor. is that correct?

Santander will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Santander will appoint their own surveyor to do this, and you will have to pay for it. Remember that this is a valuation for mortgage purposes and not a survey. Your lawyer will not organise the survey but they may be able to put you in touch with a local one that they recommend. RICS offers a find a surveyor service (just google it) where you can search for a qualified surveyor by your Uppingham postcode. As you are getting a mortgage with Santander, you could contact them to see if they have a list of approved surveyors in Uppingham.

My relative recommended that if I am buying in Uppingham I should carry out a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. What does it cover?

This is a search is usually included in the estimate for your Uppingham conveyancing searches. It is not a small report of more than thirty pages, listing and setting out important information about Uppingham around the property and the people living there. It includes an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the local Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the demographics of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average Property Price, Crime statistics, Local Education with plans and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful data about Uppingham.

I am attracted to a two flats in Uppingham which have in the region of fifty years unexpired on the leases. Should I regard a short lease as a deal breaker?

There are plenty of short leases in Uppingham. The lease is a right to use the premises for a prescribed time frame. As a lease shortens the marketability of the lease reduces and it becomes more expensive to acquire a lease extension. For this reason it is generally wise to extend the lease term. Sometimes it is difficult to sell a property with a short lease because mortgage lenders may be unwilling to lend money on properties of this type. Lease enfranchisement can be a difficult process. We recommend you get professional help from a solicitor and surveyor with experience in this field.

I invested in buying a 1st floor flat in Uppingham, conveyancing was carried out in 2006. Can you let me have an estimated range of the fair premium for a lease extension? Equivalent properties in Uppingham with an extended lease are worth £222,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £50 per annum. The lease runs out on 21st October 2094

With only 70 years unexpired the likely cost is going to be between £9,500 and £11,000 plus plus your own and the landlord's "reasonable" professional fees.

The suggested premium range above a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we are not able to advice on a more accurate figure in the absence of comprehensive investigations. Do not use the figures in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There may be additional issues that need to be considered and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you take any other action based on this information without first seeking the advice of a professional.